So we choose a life at university with the notion of obtaining a degree in our chosen field of study and gain buckets of life changing experiences throughout the journey. There are more first times during both our next and most significant chapter of our lives at university than ever before. These become character changing (not always building) and personally develop our thoughts and feelings towards work and ultimately, a career.
Having committed to a life at university for a 4 year programme due to being unclear about what direction I wanted to take my life in, I spent my third year and a quarter of my uni study time at iO1 (The parent of Invotra). Having never thought I was cut out for what I had anticipated as “office life” I was in for one of the most invaluable and character building (yes, building this time) years of my life. Having been in limbo about my decision to be at university all of second year, I decided that a year away from toying with the poverty line and countless social interactions was a MUST and found myself, through a connection, chatting to Fintan and Allie about a potential placement year. It begins.
A slow start, thrown in at the deep end and a fair few struggles later, it became apparent that these moments in a job soon became second nature and everyday practice in the workplace. Something that university cannot teach you is how to interact, communicate and effectively execute the simplest of tasks in order to contribute toward one of an infinite number of steps necessary for achieving a desired outcome. Some steps more significant than others but ultimately all different portions of energy channelled in the direction of a vision. So what or who can teach you how to achieve or implement these? The answer: People; the right people.
How did I know this? Well it wasn’t crystal clear until after completing my final year dissertation which surrounded the topic of social capital. This snippet of my dissertation will introduce you to that:
A competitor brings with him three kinds of capital to the game. Other natures can be included but only three kinds are necessary here. Firstly, the contender has financial capital: Money in the bank, reserves in assets, investments and credits.
Secondly, they bring natural traits and qualities, known as human capital, including aspects such as health, intelligence, charm and appearance, united with abilities and skills, that have been learnt and acquired through education and job related experience.
The third source of capital they display is social capital; this is the catalogue of the relationships they have formed. The basis of these relationships comprises of family, friends, colleagues and a representation of any other contacts through which you may receive a gateway to employ your financial and human capital. By the term ‘gateway’ we refer to opportunities such as jobs, promotions, participation in projects and influences on decisions.
Where am I going with all of this? Over the past couple of years iO1 has introduced Invotra and whilst I can’t comment on the financial capital of the company, what I can comment on are the remaining 2 aspects that iO1 and Invotra bring… Invotra has grown from iO1 and for 2 significant reasons, the people and the gateway it affords these people, both those who are internal and external of the workplace, but always central to its impact in business are the internal bodies. These people have multiplied but most importantly they have formed a connection, a relationship, a culture and ultimately a company personality that is so dynamic and unique that it has become endearingly invigorating…and that is hard to come by. These people create an affinity that will continue to attract others to join, be it within the team or as a means of engaging in new collaborations of business. Be a part of it.
